Still no word on husband of Brockton woman found dead in home

Saturday

May 24, 2014 at 6:00 AMMay 24, 2014 at 9:13 AM

More than a week after Florence Beaulieu's death, the crime scene tape at the house at 124 Forest Ave. has been taken down. Officials have called the death suspicious but no arrests have been made and no suspects have been named.

Benjamin Paulin The Enterprise @benpaulin_ENT

BROCKTON – Emmanuel Saint-Louis said he does not know where his daughter’s estranged husband is but said he is “a very dangerous man.”

Saint-Louis said his family has not heard from Jean Michel Beaulieu since 37-year-old Florence Beaulieu, a mother of four, was found dead in her home in Brockton last Friday.

“This man is a very dangerous man,” Saint-Louis said. “This man needs to be in jail.”

More than a week after her death, the crime scene tape at the house at 124 Forest Ave. has been taken down. Officials have called the death suspicious but no arrests have been made and no suspects have been named.

After responding to the scene May 16, police issued a call to be on the lookout for a BMW belonging to Jean Michel Beaulieu.

Florence Beaulieu’s family said Jean Michel was very abusive to her during their 15-year marriage.

“Anytime Florence tried to communicate with us, he beat her up,” said Florence’s mother Sylvia Saint-Louis, 57, of Orlando, Fla. in a recent interview with The Enterprise.

Florence Beaulieu filed for divorce on April 18.

Last Wednesday, two days before she died, Florence Beaulieu and her estranged husband both appeared in Brockton District Court for a restraining order hearing. The restraining order, which Florence Beaulieu obtained on April 30, was terminated Wednesday at her request, court documents show.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz’s office has not said whether Jean Michel Beaulieu is considered a suspect in the case. They would also not confirm Friday if they have spoken to him, spokesman Russ Eonas said.

Mitch Librett, a criminology professor at Bridgewater State University and former police officer, said it is not unusual for police to not make public if a person is a suspect in a case.

“There are many reasons why, for tactical and strategic purposes, the police would be hesitant to not name a person as a suspect or a person of interest,” Librett said.

“They may not want to label the husband as a suspect if they aren’t certain,” he said. “It can have consequences that could affect the course of the investigation or in court down the line.”

Another reason would be, if he is suspect, authorities might not want him to know.

“If he is a suspect, they wouldn’t want to tip their hand. If he’s not a suspect, they wouldn’t want him to be afraid to come in and talk to them,” said Librett.

Jean Michel Beaulieu is a native of Haiti. Librett said it’s not out of the question that he may have left the country and returned to Haiti.

“If he has the wherewithal and he’s guilty he did leave,” Librett said. “If he has the wherewithal and he didn’t do it, he still might flee.”

While the DA’s office is being mum on the topic, Librett said authorities would certainly be looking to speak with Beaulieu.

“They definitely want to talk to him,” he said. “At this point, he’d be number one on the list of people that they’d want to talk to.”

Last week, Sylvia and Emmanuel Saint-Louis were in Brockton District Court, awaiting a custody hearing for their four grandchildren, who were placed in state custody after their mother’s death.

Nicholas Homicil, the Saint-Louis family’s pastor who is with them in Massachusetts, said the family is not sure if Beaulieu will come to claim his children.

“In a situation like that, we cannot tell what he has in his mind,” Homicil said. “The family is not really capable of telling what this man has in his mind.”

A vigil is scheduled for Florence Beaulieu Monday at 124 Forest Ave. at 6 p.m.

When asked how her siblings are doing since their mother’s death, Florence’s daughter, Emmanuella Saint-Louis, said Friday that “They’re OK” She said she could not comment further.

The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, pending an autopsy. Eonas said there was nothing new to report as of Friday. Anyone with information about Beaulieu’s death is urged to call Brockton detectives at 508-941-0234.